In 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6, Paul did a personal assessment of sorts in defense of the message he shared with this church. Therein we learn of the need to check our message as well.
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
Check Your Message to Make Sure It’s True
Notice how Paul said, “the appeal we make does not spring from error” (1 Thess. 2:3). We mustn’t wander from what’s true to make the message seem more appealing. People need to hear truth, not what makes them feel good. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32)
While we mustn’t stray from the truth, we must make sure we’re presenting it rightly. The Greek word for “appeal”, paraklesis, suggests that Paul came alongside of the Thessalonians with truth. He came alongside with encouragement, entreating them, rather than with an iron fist as an authoritarian. He didn’t, however, merely say what he thought they wanted to hear, but rather what God wanted them to hear. He didn’t stray from what was true but rather aligned with God’s message. In coming alongside of people in this way, he was speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
Paul’s words to Timothy further explain that we’re to communicate truth “with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations …” (2 Tim. 4:2-5)
How to Safeguard the Message
Paul kept true because he looked at the message he had been given as an entrustment for which he’d be held accountable. He wrote, “we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4a). No wonder Paul exhorted Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). If we’re not investing sufficient prayer, time, and study into God’s Word, we may find ourselves failing to accurately communicate God’s truth.
Think about it: The message we proclaim comes from the Almighty God, the One of whom there is none greater. Shouldn’t we handle it carefully? Who are we to make adjustments to it? Who are we to pick and choose what’s true when He says “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)?
Read the following articles for more thoughts about accurately presenting the message. These articles target Bible teachers, but anyone communicating God’s Word, in any capacity, can benefit.